Inherited Two Tanks...now Panicking

[SandraNewbie]

Hi there, I need some help.

First let me apologise for information overload, I don't know what's relevant and what's not, I'm currently like an expectant mother panicking over every little detail terrified of getting everything wrong. I'm also posting this before I've finished doing my own digging on the internet because humans tend to give better advice than webpages...

I have inherited, in unfortunate circumstances, two tanks of fish (and an empty tank, 28L, and an empty bowl, aprox.10L and some associated kit (syphon, scrubber, hoses, buckets, nets etc.). I am only in the same town as these tanks from Thursday Night to Monday Morning each week and I don’t want the fish to suffer so I need advice.

Tank 1
Volume: C.90L (30widthx45depthx69length cm)
Temperature: C.25C/76F
Inhabitants:
3 bala sharks 2-2.5” Newly introduced
18 or so Guppies (approx. 2:1 female to male) Breeding (7 or 8 fry too big to be eaten by sharks or guppies) <1” to 1.5”
1 Bristlenose Pleco 2-3"
2 assassin Snails (looking a little thin shelled and pale)
1 Live plant ???
Filtration: 2x AquaOne One 101F, 1x Fluval ??? (of similar size but more powerful head, old style)
Lighting: Single Strip Light unsure of type
Ornaments: Gravel Base, one plastic plant, one horn of a large cow (I assume it's something to do with calcium)

Tank 2
Volume: 90L (45x35x60length cm) (not sure which is width and which is depth)
Temperature: approx 20.5C/69F (Unregulated although I have a spare heater, recently increased)
Inhabitants:
3 Goldfish (all approx 3” including tail, no bizzare bulbous fancy ones, 2male/1female I think from behaviour)
1 Dojo Loach (C. 7" apparantly recently shed???)
3 Zebra Nerite Snails (still plenty of algae on tank, quite new)
This tank gets some natural light during the spring and early summer months, there is no other location to move it to sadly.
1x Fluval U2 Internal Filter
Lighting 2 strips 1x aqua Glo 1x Power Glo
Ornaments: Gravel Base, 3 tubes, 1 large rock, 1 plastic plant on ground, 1 floating, some pebbles

Local water Hardness is 17 as calcium, 42.5 as calcium carbonate.

Other things:
Tetra Goldfish Flakes
Neptune Goldfish Flakes
Tetra Prima Pellets (for discus and mid to bottom feeders)
King British Algae Wafers
Tetra Min Flakes (for all tropical)
Nutrafin Max Flakes (for tropical)
Frozen Blood Worms, Daphnia and Artemia

Nutrafin Cycle
Melafix antibacterial remedy
Interpet Green Away
Tetra AquaSafe
Nutrafin AquaPlus
Api Stress Coat

I have an LFS I can get to once a week (Saturdays due to scheduling) and a larger pet store within 20 minutes which I can get to any day I'm in town.


So I’m asking for every bit of information you can think of.
How much Food & When? Which food to who? Water Change, tank clean, filter sponge rinse schedule? Use of the various products that I got...
Should I change anything about the tanks as set up? (eg. I know goldfish are really messy fish so should some of the filtration be moved to them? What height should the filters be set at in the tank? Aeration? How do I tell if fish are ok? Anything...Treat me as what I am, an ignorant newbie with only information from the internet.

PS I want to order/ buy a water test kit so I can keep track of the water, The first one I've seen is the nutrafin master kit which contains 100 tests for Ammonia, Calcium, Nitrate, Phosphate, General Hardness, Carbonate Hardness, Nitrite, pH(High range and Low range) and Iron. Is this good or is there stuff missing/that i don't need?

I am also aware that in 2 years or so the previous owner was planning on buying a huge tank for her tropicals, is this going to be necessary or was it just a desire, the little I’ve read on the bala sharks is confusing.

Thanks in advance, a very terrified Sandra

 

[JL94x4]

The bala sharks are way too big for that tank, they can grow huge i'd try to offload them if you can. As for food 1 or twice a day, removing any left over rotted food after around 5-10minutes. Rinse the filter in TANK water every 4-6 weeks, do a 20% water change weekly.

If you buy a test kit, API Master kit, don't bother with the test strips as in the long run, the API Master kit will be more cheaper, and will provide you with more accurate results.

If your fish have lack of oxygen you'll visibly see them at the surface gasping for breath.

 

[CezzaXV]

The good news is that if they're fully established tanks, the hardest part is done for you and won't take much effort on your part to maintain them.

The sharks will get too big for your tank. If you're new to fishkeeping I'd recommend you trying to find a new home for them. Getting a bigger tank for them is probably more effort than you want to go through as a newbie right now.

For the filters, as long as you keep them positioned so that the water surface is rippling. This will make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the water.

Try to spend a minute or two every day watching your fish. It's pointless for us to say what to look out for in terms of illness because there are so many illnesses fish can get, but you'll usually be able to spot it if something's wrong with the fish.

If there's no filtration in the goldfish tank, you'll definitely want to put some in there. Three filters for one tank does seem rather excessive anyway. You may experience a "mini cycle" by doing this, where ammonia and nitrite build up because there arent enough bacteria in the filters you have. Basically test your water every day and do a big water change when either are above 0.25ppm. Shouldnt last more than a few days though, hopefully and is more of a precaution really.

The goldfish and dojo loach are coldwater fish and will be perfectly fine without a heater.

Feeding, I'd recommend feeding once a day while you're there, alternating between the different foods you have. Fish can easily go without food for a few days at a time, so don't worry about them while you're away.

A water change will be necessary once a week on both tanks with dechlorinated water. I'd recommend picking a day when you're there and doing it on that day every week so you don't forget or get tempted to put it off. You don't necessarily have to do both tanks on the same day each week, as long as they both get done once a week. Most people do between 25-50% a week. The important thing is to be removing the nitrates quicker than they're building up. You can test your water if you want to get an idea of how much they build up. You may also find it useful to test your tap water to know what you're adding in (my tap water has 10-20ppm nitrate).

I'm sure it all seems pretty daunting but it's not as complicated as we make it sound! Feel free to ask more questions if you need clarification or there's more you want to know.

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd just like to say that i agree 100% with Cezza's advice there.

Follow those guidelines and you won't go far wrong; it's exactly what I'd have said

Edit; oh, except that I'm afraid you're going to have to think about rehoming/upgrading the goldfish too in the not-too distant future; common goldfish really are pond fish, tbh, and that tank won't be big enough for them long term.

 

[Aqua Tom]

I'd just like to say that i agree 100% with Cezza's advice there.

Follow those guidelines and you won't go far wrong; it's exactly what I'd have said

Edit; oh, except that I'm afraid you're going to have to think about rehoming/upgrading the goldfish too in the not-too distant future; common goldfish really are pond fish, tbh, and that tank won't be big enough for them long term.

+1

Goldfish are a form of Carp & as such will grow huge.


Tom

 

[pdludbrooke]

Hi there, I need some help.

First let me apologise for information overload, I don't know what's relevant and what's not, I'm currently like an expectant mother panicking over every little detail terrified of getting everything wrong. I'm also posting this before I've finished doing my own digging on the internet because humans tend to give better advice than webpages...

I have inherited, in unfortunate circumstances, two tanks of fish (and an empty tank, 28L, and an empty bowl, aprox.10L and some associated kit (syphon, scrubber, hoses, buckets, nets etc.). I am only in the same town as these tanks from Thursday Night to Monday Morning each week and I don’t want the fish to suffer so I need advice.

Tank 1
Volume: C.90L (30widthx45depthx69length cm)
Temperature: C.25C/76F
Inhabitants:
3 bala sharks 2-2.5” Newly introduced
18 or so Guppies (approx. 2:1 female to male) Breeding (7 or 8 fry too big to be eaten by sharks or guppies) <1” to 1.5”
1 Bristlenose Pleco 2-3"
2 assassin Snails (looking a little thin shelled and pale)
1 Live plant ???
Filtration: 2x AquaOne One 101F, 1x Fluval ??? (of similar size but more powerful head, old style)
Lighting: Single Strip Light unsure of type
Ornaments: Gravel Base, one plastic plant, one horn of a large cow (I assume it's something to do with calcium)

Tank 2
Volume: 90L (45x35x60length cm) (not sure which is width and which is depth)
Temperature: approx 20.5C/69F (Unregulated although I have a spare heater, recently increased)
Inhabitants:
3 Goldfish (all approx 3” including tail, no bizzare bulbous fancy ones, 2male/1female I think from behaviour)
1 Dojo Loach (C. 7" apparantly recently shed???)
3 Zebra Nerite Snails (still plenty of algae on tank, quite new)
This tank gets some natural light during the spring and early summer months, there is no other location to move it to sadly.
1x Fluval U2 Internal Filter
Lighting 2 strips 1x aqua Glo 1x Power Glo
Ornaments: Gravel Base, 3 tubes, 1 large rock, 1 plastic plant on ground, 1 floating, some pebbles

Local water Hardness is 17 as calcium, 42.5 as calcium carbonate.

Other things:
Tetra Goldfish Flakes
Neptune Goldfish Flakes
Tetra Prima Pellets (for discus and mid to bottom feeders)
King British Algae Wafers
Tetra Min Flakes (for all tropical)
Nutrafin Max Flakes (for tropical)
Frozen Blood Worms, Daphnia and Artemia

Nutrafin Cycle
Melafix antibacterial remedy
Interpet Green Away
Tetra AquaSafe
Nutrafin AquaPlus
Api Stress Coat

I have an LFS I can get to once a week (Saturdays due to scheduling) and a larger pet store within 20 minutes which I can get to any day I'm in town.


So I’m asking for every bit of information you can think of.
How much Food & When? Which food to who? Water Change, tank clean, filter sponge rinse schedule? Use of the various products that I got...
Should I change anything about the tanks as set up? (eg. I know goldfish are really messy fish so should some of the filtration be moved to them? What height should the filters be set at in the tank? Aeration? How do I tell if fish are ok? Anything...Treat me as what I am, an ignorant newbie with only information from the internet.

PS I want to order/ buy a water test kit so I can keep track of the water, The first one I've seen is the nutrafin master kit which contains 100 tests for Ammonia, Calcium, Nitrate, Phosphate, General Hardness, Carbonate Hardness, Nitrite, pH(High range and Low range) and Iron. Is this good or is there stuff missing/that i don't need?

I am also aware that in 2 years or so the previous owner was planning on buying a huge tank for her tropicals, is this going to be necessary or was it just a desire, the little I’ve read on the bala sharks is confusing.

Thanks in advance, a very terrified Sandra

Wow, massive thing for you, how did you inherit them ?

 

[SandraNewbie]

The bala sharks are way too big for that tank, they can grow huge i'd try to offload them if you can.

I'm looking at getting a bigger tank for them as I'd hate to lose any of these guys. How long do you think I could hold off on getting a 6 footer for them?

As for food 1 or twice a day, removing any left over rotted food after around 5-10minutes.

Ok, how much of what? I'm curently doing small pinch of flakes and 6to8 pellets 1ce per day that I'm in town, half an algae tab 2ce a week for the tropicals and medium pinch of alternating flks each day that I'm in town for the coldwater. Haven't looked at the frozen food yet.

Rinse the filter in TANK water every 4-6 weeks, do a 20% water change weekly.

Thank you, will do.

If you buy a test kit, API Master kit, don't bother with the test strips as in the long run, the API Master kit will be more cheaper, and will provide you with more accurate results.

Ok, will post results when it arrives.

If your fish have lack of oxygen you'll visibly see them at the surface gasping for breath.

luckily, no signs of that.

For the filters, as long as you keep them positioned so that the water surface is rippling. This will make sure there is plenty of oxygen in the water.

all but one of them are, the one that isn't is quite low down in the tropical tank.

Try to spend a minute or two every day watching your fish. ... you'll usually be able to spot it if something's wrong with the fish.

All seem pretty active and happy, dojo loach spends long periods resting completely till but snuffle around a lot and swims in and out of the hiding tubes regularly. Goldfish are active, there was one day where the shubunkin was pestering the black one a lot...? Guppies are good, pleccie hides under things mostly but has been relatively active on the tank late evenings. The bala's are swimming all over the tank with a few bursts of speed and seem to like looping up and down around the horn.

If there's no filtration in the goldfish tank,

There is a filter which I've learned from the internet is a 400lph one.

Three filters for one tank does seem rather excessive anyway.

With this kit, should I switch filters around?

The goldfish and dojo loach are coldwater fish and will be perfectly fine without a heater.

That's good to hear I was worried about temperature fluctuations.

Fish can easily go without food for a few days at a time, so don't worry about them while you're away.

That's a big relief.

A water change will be necessary once a week on both tanks with dechlorinated water...test your tap water to know what you're adding in (my tap water has 10-20ppm nitrate).

Ok, I'll start this regimen and see how it goes once I've got the test kit.

I'm sure it all seems pretty daunting but it's not as complicated as we make it sound! Feel free to ask more questions if you need clarification or there's more you want to know.

I really appreciate the help.

oh, except that I'm afraid you're going to have to think about rehoming/upgrading the goldfish too in the not-too distant future; common goldfish really are pond fish, tbh, and that tank won't be big enough for them long term.

Anything to watch out for to see if upgrading is urgent? I won't be able to do it immediately and so would love to keep them for a while but if it's really inadequate I'll give them to the LFS if they'll have them.

Any advice on temperature for the tropicals? Some things I was reading suggested a lower temperature to reduce the breeding of the guppies?

 

[OldMan47]

Welcome to the forum SandraNewbie.
Let's get right down to cases here. Tank 1 is too small for the fish in it. At 90 liters, which I think of as around 25 gallons, it cannot possibly support the fish you have for an extended period of time. The guppies just about take that tank to its maximum stock levels. The rest of the fish are overloads.
Tank 2 is in a similar situation. The gold fish have a requirement of about 60 litres each as adults so you may get away with it for a short time but even the goldfish are too much. The rest of your stock is all overload for that tank.
OK, so where does that leave us? If you reduce your stock to only the guppies and the comet goldfish, you will only be slightly overstocked in both tanks.

Your fairly soft water,1 degree of GH and 3 degrees of KH, is nice to know about but it is not needed for guppies nor goldfish. Both will thrive in much harder water.

Feeding is going to be simple. Feed about once a day to only the amount of food that your fish will eat completely in around 2 minutes. I know this is more than most places will recommend but it is a value that will allow your fish to grow to their full potential size while minimizing any uneaten food left behind.

There is nothing wrong with the Nutrafin test kit but most of us here use the API test kit instead. It will do lots of tests for the critical parameters of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and will also do pH in the normal and high range modes. It does not do any test of GH or KH but we seldom ask anyone for that data. It simply is seldom needed to help analyze a situation.

 

[SandraNewbie]

Just to update you all. I got lucky. About a month after I last visited here the worse of my two LFS closed down and sold a lot of stock, and glass for making tanks cheap.

My Nieces husband has put together a fantastic tank for my guppies, Balas and Pleco. It's about 7'6" by 1'9" by 2'9"...so I have 1 tonne of water along my living room wall...Good job I have a concrete floor. It's running with an Eheim classic external 2260 and one small internal filters. It also has a large nitrate reactor that the LFS was chucking out which is keeping the Nitrate very stable and means I don't need to do quite so much water changing (helped by the java ferns growing in the corner.
Pleco is a lot more active now that he has a bigger tank to keep clear and spends a lot less time on his bogwood and I've added a female albino bristlenose to go with him.
I've put in 2 more bala sharks of similar sizes, (they're up to about 4" now) so the 5 of them can shoal a bit.
The guppies have been breeding and the male's tails are getting some fantastic effects, they're mostly either midnight blue, with silvery blue tails or sky blue with orange and sunburst tails so the shoal has a very sky feel. Although the sex ratio is staying pretty close to 1:1 and when I lost a handful of them following a power cut, loads of the females changed to males to go back to 1:1. There's about 30 of them now.

The goldfish are in a bigger tank as well, 400L. It's running with four internal filters, but as soon as I've saved up, I'll be switching to an external to reduce the noise. I've added two more loaches, which I misidentified as DOJO loach when I first got the tank, my Newton is a mud loach (differnt misgurnus species) and boy has he got happy with his tank mates. I've changed the substrate to have a sandy end with fine gravel at the other end and that's made a difference. His old palstic tubes are now wood carved ones.
The three goldies are still trucking along and still seem to fill the view of the tank despite it being 4 times the size.
Because it gets less sun, I've had to start adding algae tabs for the snails.

All in all, I've spent quite alot of money, but far less than all the products are worth thanks to the bankrupt LFS and I'm quite happy with my living room and dining room tanks.

But what about my two 100(ish) litre tanks? Well, the old Guppy tank is now the proud home of a planted tank with a gorgeous Orange Betta and a shoal of 8 little hengels rasboras, It's got the filter it came with keeping the water flow slow and an air stone in one corner to help keep the O2 levels up. The henge;s look beautiful flashing in and out of the taller plants and the betta is a constant mover, not much hanging about.

The other tank, Was donated to a family member for use as a lizard vivarium and now houses a lizard of some kind.

Thanks for all your help. But I've got bitten by the bug now.

 

[sadguppy]

Wow! Pictures, please!